Evaluation of a Multimodal Interface for Pilot Interaction with Avionic Systems

To date, most of the interactions between pilots and avionic systems of commercial passenger aircraft are carried out using physical controls. This paper discusses the evaluation of a multimodal interface which allows pilots to control various avionic systems using a combination of touchscreen gestures (via a single touchscreen interface) and voice commands. This interface was evaluated by eight commercial airline pilots in a fixed-based flight simulator. Although various improvements can be made to the interface, the evaluations successfully demonstrated the feasibility and potential benefits of using a multimodal interface in commercial flight.